Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Made it home

Yes, I was able to safely make it home for Christmas... unfortunately, my computer did not have the same luck and decided to ker-plewy on me. Thankfully, the guys at Mac were fabulous, and able to help my poor, overworked computer out.

I go back to Haiti on January 1, but will be doing some uploading of videos and things I was not able to do during my last crazy week in Haiti.

As of now- things are relatively calm. PaP is calm, and so is Les Cayes. There are still random road blocks and barriers along the main highway from PaP to Les Cayes. I would not recommend driving to anyone traveling. I got this report of roadblocks last night.

The message below was sent to me last week- even though things are scheduled to be quiet for the holidays, things are still extremely tense, and precautions need to take place.

U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince issued the following Warden Message on December 17, 2010:

The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince is issuing this Warden Message to remind U.S. citizens of the potential for additional elections-related civil unrest in Port-au-Prince and throughout Haiti, particularly in connection with major announcements. Demonstrations (including violent protests) have resulted in barricades and road closures, making travel hazardous and even impossible. They have also caused the shut-down of airports and roads to the Dominican Republic, making it impossible for Americans wishing to depart Haiti to do so.

U.S. citizens in Haiti should consider stocking up on essential provisions – drinking water, food, fuel for generators, etc. – to be well prepared should civil unrest require them to shelter in place. They should also ensure they have all necessary medicines. U.S. citizens planning travel are advised to contact their airline directly for up-to-date flight status and availability and consider travelling earlier in the event airports are closed.

In the event of civil unrest, U.S. citizens in affected areas are advised to remain indoors and to seek safe havens in their current areas. They should not attempt to “run” roadblocks or work their way through areas of unrest; doing so may put their lives at immediate risk. The Embassy urges U.S. citizens to exercise special caution and avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place or crowds are forming and to maintain a low profile. The Embassy does not have the capacity or infrastructure to evacuate U.S. citizens and relies on the Haitian National Police to provide assistance. They, with support from UN Police, are responsible for keeping peace in Haiti and rendering assistance during times of civil unrest. The local equivalent to the “911” emergency line in Haiti is 114.